[MUSIC] Welcome back. In the previous videos, we covered going into the field to capture in-context observations, synthesizing those observations into insights, then creating how might we statements from those insights. The how might me statement's created our framework for the next phase in the process, ideation. With ideation, rapid visualization is the key. Leaders who want to create the future have to be able to help other people envision that future. Rapid visualization empowers you, as design innovators, to get what's in your mind out onto paper so others can see what you're imagining. We like to think that rapid visualization is the ultimate low-cost, low-fidelity prototype. It's a tool everyone has, but not everyone is comfortable using. Many of you haven't sketched or drawn since elementary school. The type of visualization we're talking about focuses on communicating your ideas, not creating art. A quick gestural sketch is far better at explaining something than a block of text. Sketches are also more quickly absorbed and better understood than verbal or written descriptions because they are tangible. The point of rapid visualization is allowing you to quickly and visually share an idea other people can react to because it removes ambiguity and makes things come to life. It's important that you practice and get comfortable with this skill, and we will show you how. I've asked fellow instructors at Northwestern's Design Institute, Antonio Garcia and Brandon Williams to help me demonstrate in this video. >> Thanks, Greg. Rapid visualization should be as simple as possible while still focused on communicating the idea. It's a barebones illustration for the purpose of moving past just talking about something. Let's consider the effectiveness of drawing basic shapes to clearly illustrate more complex subjects. For example, combinations of circles, triangles, squares, and lines, can go a long way in depicting your visual. If a house is central to your idea, it can be visualized with a triangle, a few squares, and rectangles. Remember, we're asking you to be a design inventor, not an artist. Think about simple shapes as a way to rapidly visualize your story. These shapes are, in essence, icons and symbols. We call them graphic shorthand. You can use these icons to visualize without hesitation or intimidation. It takes time to get comfortable with this, but it's just like handwriting. Everyone has their own style and a set of icons that they use. The main point is making things legible so that others can read it. Let's take a look at a simple example. Mobile devices are something that you will need to depict regularly. Using just a couple of rectangles and a circle, you can depict a mobile device. If we stretch the proportion, we can turn that mobile device into a tablet. Add a keyboard and it becomes a laptop. Change the proportion one more time to turn the shapes into a monitor or display. The settings are also vital to the stories we visualize. If we go back to the house we drew earlier, we can easily translate it into a set of icons representing different settings. If we change the roof, it becomes an office building. Stretch it upwards and now it's a skyscraper. If we add a cross, we can turn the office building into a hospital. Some smoke stacks, turn it into a factory. You can see how easy it is to change the visualization with simple additions of shapes. We need to show people in the context of our designs. Remember design is about people. Everyone can draw a simple stick figure. We have been doing it since we were children. If you want to advance that stick figure, we can draw what we call a star person. Another type of figure we use is the flex figure. We like to use this type of figure to convey action. It is easier to move the arms and legs to create different positions. People convey emotion with both body language and facial expression, both of which can be captured with equally simple shapes. Let's go back to our flex figure and explore different faces, body language, and the use of emotive lines to convey different actions and emotions. Capturing emotion visually is a powerful tool for story telling. You will need to learn how to draw settings and objects most relevant to you and your organization. >> We've provided some additional resources in the module that will get you started thinking about how you can rapidly visualize different settings and objects that you encounter most. Think about how you can develop your own graphic shorthand with icons that you're comfortable with and that convey your ideas. In the next video, we will be talking about creating and conducting an effective brainstorm. [MUSIC]
